The Bitter Truth
by RagingFire94
Summary: What happens when your ex-wife comes into town and you're moving on? Chaos.
1. Chapter 1

She stares at her phone for a minute, ignoring the tempting kisses that the other woman is giving her. Her heart rapidly drums against her ribs, leaving a trail of warmth gently lapping at her skin. A grin halfheartedly forms on her pallid face, leaving behind any sort of sorrow that had bred in her system. Hearing a distinct noise emanate from the room, she spins around, hair whipping into the face of the other woman.

"What's going on?" The woman spoke in a molasses- thick Italian accent.

"My daughter wants to come and live with me," Arizona replies, barely containing her overwhelming joy. Pressing her creamy hands to her forehead, she lets out a vibrant, throaty laugh, filling the room with exquisite noise. Once her breathing goes back to its typical rhythm, she turns on her side to gaze into the eyes of the Italian womanizer.

"Does this mean your ex-wife is returning?" The woman inquires, eyebrows raising inch by inch.

Blood turns to ice. The blonde lets out a ragged breath, coughing rapidly, covering the coughs up with nervous laughter. She feels the eyes of her possible girlfriend on her, but she chooses to ignore the stony stare.

"I don't believe so. Why would she have any reason to come back? She can still see her daughter when she wants and be with the love of her life. I have no emotional ties with her anymore beyond our flesh and blood; however, I would not be surprised if there was some tension. Although this is a difficult situation, I want you to be aware that you do not have to stress over this scenario."

DeLuca's sister sits straight up, posture ramrod straight, eyes lightning bolts. "You think that this is something I shouldn't concern myself with? You honestly believe that your ex-wife coming back into your life will not have an effect on this relationship? Life is too difficult to deal with this much hurricane."

Arizona purses her lips, thoughts running rapidly through her mind; what could she do about such an eminent issue?

"You think you understand what is going on, but you don't. You think you understand how I'm feeling, yet you don't. You think you have won this battle, but believe me, you won't. Did you not listen to me earlier? She is my EX- WIFE. We are no longer a part of each other's lives, we knew that when we signed the divorce papers, and she knew it when she filed for divorce. You may not believe my statements, but you will eventually find out that I am right. I care about you now, not her. Don't stress over what won't happen. Okay?"

Her potential girlfriend sighs and lays on her side, eyes fluttering shut as she contemplates what she has heard.

 _Next Morning._

 _The wind is chilly as it blows in her face, but she barely notices her limbs becoming numb. All she can comprehend is the inevitable end to what she had thought was a functioning relationship, and now, she doesn't even know how to breathe without it stabbing her in the lungs. Sometimes she wonders why she even tries, but at the same time she knows exactly what the point is. Those curious, dark eyes the color of dark chocolate always manage to pull her apart, and there is nothing on the Earth that can stop it. No matter how fast she runs, she always faces her twisted past, leaving her breathless. There is only way to get out, only one way._


	2. How to be Dead

She stares at her phone for a minute, ignoring the tempting kisses that the other woman is giving her. Her heart rapidly drums against her ribs, leaving a trail of warmth gently lapping at her skin. A grin halfheartedly forms on her pallid face, leaving behind any sort of sorrow that had bred in her system. Hearing a distinct noise emanate from the room, she spins around, hair whipping into the face of the other woman.

"What's going on?" The woman spoke in a molasses- thick Italian accent.

"My daughter wants to come and live with me," Arizona replies, barely containing her overwhelming joy. Pressing her creamy hands to her forehead, she lets out a vibrant, throaty laugh, filling the room with exquisite noise. Once her breathing goes back to its typical rhythm, she turns on her side to gaze into the eyes of the Italian womanizer.

"Does this mean your ex-wife is returning?" The woman inquires, eyebrows raising inch by inch.

Blood turns to ice. The blonde lets out a ragged breath, coughing rapidly, covering the coughs up with nervous laughter. She feels the eyes of her possible girlfriend on her, but she chooses to ignore the stony stare.

"I don't believe so. Why would she have any reason to come back? She can still see her daughter when she wants and be with the love of her life. I have no emotional ties with her anymore beyond our flesh and blood; however, I would not be surprised if there was some tension. Although this is a difficult situation, I want you to be aware that you do not have to stress over this scenario."

DeLuca's sister sits straight up, posture ramrod straight, eyes lightning bolts. "You think that this is something I shouldn't concern myself with? You honestly believe that your ex-wife coming back into your life will not have an effect on this relationship? Life is too difficult to deal with this much hurricane."

Arizona purses her lips, thoughts running rapidly through her mind; what could she do about such an eminent issue?

"You think you understand what is going on, but you don't. You think you understand how I'm feeling, yet you don't. You think you have won this battle, but believe me, you won't. Did you not listen to me earlier? She is my EX- WIFE. We are no longer a part of each other's lives, we knew that when we signed the divorce papers, and she knew it when she filed for divorce. You may not believe my statements, but you will eventually find out that I am right. I care about you now, not her. Don't stress over what won't happen. Okay?"

Her potential girlfriend sighs and lays on her side, eyes fluttering shut as she contemplates what she has heard.

 _Next Morning._

 _The wind is chilly as it blows in her face, but she barely notices her limbs becoming numb. All she can comprehend is the inevitable end to what she had thought was a functioning relationship, and now, she doesn't even know how to breathe without it stabbing her in the lungs. Sometimes she wonders why she even tries, but at the same time she knows exactly what the point is. Those curious, dark eyes the color of dark chocolate always manage to pull her apart, and there is nothing on the Earth that can stop it. No matter how fast she runs, she always faces her twisted past, leaving her breathless. There is only way to get out, only one way._

Arizona's Point of View

I race around the hospital, feeling my chest struggle to maintain my regular oxygen levels. All I think about these days is how to put one foot in the other, especially since the light of my life cut deep into my skin and left me to bleed. I have grown beyond my old self to the point where Callie is almost nothing but a dream. Dreams always have a way of haunting you, making it difficult to survive when you feel as if your head is constantly being pushed into the water and being held down. The warmth of your skin, the steady beat of your heart, the soothing rush of blood throughout your veins is not always enough. Day after day I wonder if I was ever enough or if I was stuck in some sort of nightmare that I will never be able to escape. Taking a shuttering breath, I once again move throughout the walls of this hospital, where I have lived through pain and pleasure in more ways than one. When I lock my eyes on Alex's, I find my chest constricting, and I know that I have lost my nerve. I no longer have control over my emotions, and I no longer have the ability to look beyond the past. This is all because I could not let go of someone who in the end did not love me enough to try again. Growling, I dig my hands sharply into my legs, sighing as I feel blood dripping onto my fingertips.

"Arizona!"

Turning my head, I look back at Carina, eyes narrowing as I take her figure in. Her hands dancing on her hips, she takes her arms and holds them out, but I turn my back, determined not to let my error in judgment keep me from moving on.


	3. Chapter 3

I race around the hospital, feeling my chest struggle to maintain my regular oxygen levels. All I think about these days is how to put one foot in the other, especially since the light of my life cut deep into my skin and left me to bleed. I have grown beyond my old self to the point where Callie is almost nothing but a dream. Dreams always have a way of haunting you, making it difficult to survive when you feel as if your head is constantly being pushed into the water and being held down. The warmth of your skin, the steady beat of your heart, the soothing rush of blood throughout your veins is not always enough. Day after day I wonder if I was ever enough or if I was stuck in some sort of nightmare that I will never be able to escape. Taking a shuttering breath, I once again move throughout the walls of this hospital, where I have lived through pain and pleasure in more ways than one. When I lock my eyes on Alex's, I find my chest constricting, and I know that I have lost my nerve. I no longer have control over my emotions, and I no longer have the ability to look beyond the past. This is all because I could not let go of someone who in the end did not love me enough to try again. Growling, I dig my hands sharply into my legs, sighing as I feel blood dripping onto my fingertips.

"Arizona!"

Turning my head, I look back at Carina, eyes narrowing as I take her figure in. Her hands dancing on her hips, she takes her arms and holds them out, but I turn my back, determined not to let my error in judgment keep me from moving on. I can hear the blood rushing violently to my head, and I find myself leaning onto the walls around me. When I find myself suitable to stand again, I straighten up, lips pursed as I consider my next move.

Walking towards her, I plant my feet deep into the ground, feeling electricity buzz in my veins. "I thought I could deal with the fact that you were with Owen. I thought I could ignore the fact that you hurt Amelia Shepherd. I thought I could pretend like everything was going right in my life, but then I found that I no longer had control of what I knew anymore. I no longer understood the problem, and that is why I failed to understand that you were never going to be my savior. The only one that can save me is me, and at the moment I'm not doing a spectacular job. I don't need some Italian wonder coming to me and using me for something that we don't even need. I will fight my battles and fight them until I no longer have the energy to keep on going, and no one can ever say that Arizona Robbins was a coward. I have made errors, yes. I have done horrific things, but I am sure you have too. Until you can find a way to separate your professional and private life, I will bid you a farewell."

As I turn my back, I swear I can almost hear my ribs crack from the pressure my heart is most likely putting on them. In this moment, my whole life is some sort of shame and I am only a pawn in some diabolical game where I never had a choice. I have never had the choice to turn everything around, but somehow I will find clarity. Perhaps this offer I have received will be my saving grace; my lips turn upwards as I stride towards my office, butterflies gently flapping their wings. Once my hands are on the doorknob, I cannot help but look one last time at the place I used to call home. Now it is the ghost of my primitive life. My eyes flutter close and I am taken back to that time when I was the woman with a leg, the woman with dignity, the woman who was not a cheater. Those things continue to penetrate my defenses and strip me down to the lowest of my lows. No matter how long I try, it always come backs to that leg and my pride. No matter what, I am always pulled back by my brain and left to fight for whatever I can find.

Callie's Point of View

 _Another summer day_

 _Has come and gone away_

 _In Paris and Rome_

 _But I want to go home_

I am having a relaxing dinner with my girlfriend, enjoying the food and the company. I glance over at Sofia and notice that she is picking at her food with her fork. Leaning in, I lower my voice and inquire, "Sofia, what's wrong with your food? Is something wrong?"

She gives me a cold glance and responds, "Nothing, Mama. Everything's great." She leans back in her chair and lets out a huff.

"Sofia Torres, talk to me," I command, feeling a jolt of warmth spread over my skin.

"Why should I talk to you? Why do you deserve anything I have to say when you never even considered the fact that I never wanted to go to New York? I never wanted this life. I never wanted to be separated from Mom but you didn't care. You were only concerned with what you wanted. I never wanted this. I never... I never wanted this."

I wince as I hear footsteps pounding on the stairs and then the sound of a door jerking shut with a thunderous bang. My shoulders immediately fuse together as I straighten up in my chair, clearing my throat. Glancing up at Penny, I can see disappointment lingering behind her glittering green eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

_Another summer day_

 _Has come and gone away_

 _In Paris and Rome_

 _But I want to go home_

I am having a relaxing dinner with my girlfriend, enjoying the food and the company. I glance over at Sofia and notice that she is picking at her food with her fork. Leaning in, I lower my voice and inquire, "Sofia, what's wrong with your food? Is something wrong?"

She gives me a cold glance and responds, "Nothing, Mama. Everything's great." She leans back in her chair and lets out a huff.

"Sofia Torres, talk to me," I command, feeling a jolt of warmth spread over my skin.

"Why should I talk to you? Why do you deserve anything I have to say when you never even considered the fact that I never wanted to go to New York? I never wanted this life. I never wanted to be separated from Mom but you didn't care. You were only concerned with what you wanted. I never wanted this. I never... I never wanted this."

I wince as I hear footsteps pounding on the stairs and then the sound of a door jerking shut with a thunderous bang. My shoulders immediately fuse together as I straighten up in my chair, clearing my throat. Glancing up at Penny, I can see disappointment lingering behind her glittering green eyes.

"You know, I feel as if we're only moving backwards, Callie. You keep saying you've moved on but this woman keeps affecting your life. When are you going to realize the truth? I can't keep waiting around for you to change your mind. My career means too much for me to put it on hold because of some love drama that I never wanted to be a part of."

I reel backwards, feeling my temper beginning to rise as I comprehend what Penny just said. I bite my lip, tempted to let out a string of curse words, but I decide for Sofia's sake to be polite and be mature about the problem rather than be a jerk.

"I never asked you to wait around for me," I say quietly. "It was never my intention to string you along, but somewhere along the way I think everybody makes mistakes. I certainly have not had a good character lately, especially during the court case. It's time that I need to right my wrongs and fix my problems instead of attempting to pretend like everything's okay, because it's not okay. I've become the person I hated the most, and I know that I can't live with myself if my daughter sees that and becomes that kind of person. I need to be a better role model for my daughter, so I'm sorry if you have had to make sacrifices, but I've had to give up the most important things in the world, things that are more important than career. Hopefully someday you will understand that."

Strolling over to the closet, I yank the door open and begin pulling out all of my things, stuffing them into the bottom of my ragged, onyx colored suitcase. I can feel a pair of eyes staring at me, but I choose to ignore it in favor of completing my task. No matter how hard I distract myself, however, it always comes back to the realization that I am the ghost of who I used to be, the person who was generous and compassionate. Now I have become nothing more than a twisted shell of bitter remains. Everything inside of me keeps telling me to give it up, to forget all that I have done, but to fix the present I have to look at the past. I cannot keep living with these ghosts inside of my head, haunting me every day. Even Sofia is a constant reminder of all of the shallow things I have done to the people I love.

 _Hypocrite._

That word has become my favorite out of all of the ones that exist on this planet. That word has become who I am. I once said that you don't destroy the people you love, but in one foul swoop I managed to come in and destroy all of Arizona and Sofia. Sighing, I lean into my suitcase and grab a picture of the three of us back when we were a family. Arizona's leaning into me with a contented grin on her face, holding me and Sofia; I'm gleefully looking at the camera with my daughter in my arms, enthralled with our life. When did I become this selfish woman who was willing to lose everything that mattered most? Somewhere along the way I let my morals die in the waters of cruelty. These problems were always mine, they were never anyone else's. I made Arizona give up what she loved because I was not willing to make any sacrifices. This is what it has come to, this is what my life has become, me being the sinner who has given in to the devil's temptations.

 _I am reminded of this every single day._

 _But it's time to face the truth_

Taking a deep breath, I turn to face Penny, determined to make the right choice. "I'm sorry, Penny. There's no apologizing that can make up for what I've done, but the only way to make it right is to do what will hurt the most. I need to leave this city and go back to where I belong. I need to go fix my life, and I hope you can understand. I hope you realize if any pain was caused that it was unintentional, and I wish you well."

Leaning into the hug she gives me, I feel a smile begin to emerge on my lips, thinking about all the ways I am going to make up for the wrongs I have done.


End file.
